Jealousy Gets You Nowhere
by Teliko. x3
Summary: Gil's jealous. Catherine's suspicious. Sara's pissed off. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.
1. Chapter 1

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Yeah. Remember that story I said I was going to try to write for my, 'LIFE, WTF' collaberation on CSI? LOL. Well this is it. I'm sorry if I'm making so many stories and not updating them all, but I'm trying. LOL. There's only so much a 15 year old girl can do :D**

* * *

Gil Grissom wasn't the type to get jealous, but this was an exception. He knew they would bring in a replacement, but why so soon? He was expecting them to wait at least a few weeks to find someone who fits the job.

"Gil? You still there?"

"Yeah. What were you saying?"

"Oh, right. Well... we solved the case. You wouldn't beleive how, though!"

"Try me."

"The victim had some sort of dental record at a local office. The same office as two other girls who were killed over a period of thirty years. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah." On the other line, Catherine sat in her office with the door closed. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something to say, anything. She didn't want to waste any time. She knew how busy he must have been and she considered herself lucky to have even answer his cell phone, much less take the time to talk to her. "So... how are things?"

"Things are... okay."

"They're 'okay'? What's going on over there that you're not telling me?" She breathed a little too loudly into the phone, and that told him something was wrong. "Catherine. Tell me."

"Well it's just... this new guy, Keppler, right? He ugh... he got me to..."

"To what, Cath?"

"He got me to fake a crime scene with him. He said it'd help catch the killer."

"He got you to do what?"

"It's called reverse forensics. It-"

"He got you to do what?"

"Gil," She pleaded.

"Catherine, there's no such thing as reverse forensics! Who the hell is this guy!?"

"His name is Mike Keppler, he-"

"Retorical question." She forced herself to hold in her smile. She missed this part of Gil. The, 'no one will ever take over my shift or lab as long as I'm alive' Gil.

"Well it worked. We caught the guy last night." In his hotel, he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his glasses on his night stand. He knew they would talk more about it when he got back in Vegas. "How are things with you?"

"People here are nice. Food's okay. I can't complain." They both sat there and listened to the other breathe into the phone. They had nothing else to talk about. Everything was said and done. He was half way across the country, she was stuck in Vegas.

"Well, I just felt like checking up on you. I'm glad you answered your phone."

"I'm glad you called, Catherine. I'll sleep better knowing you guys are safe." She opened her eyes and her heart beat increased.

"You will," She whispered.

"I garuentee it."

"You sound tired. Maybe I should let you go."

"I'm not tired, but if you need to, I can talk to you tomorrow or something?"

"I'm not tired either, but it must be at least 2 AM where you are."

"It is," He smiled. Neither one of them wanted to hang up the phone. It was just then he realized he hadn't talked to Sara ever since he made his flight. 'I've got to send her something tomorrow or something.'

"I better let you get some sleep. Besides, I've gotta finish up some paperwork and get some rest."

"Alright. Call me tomorrow?"

"You can count on it."

"Goodnight, Catherine."

"Night, Gil."

----

"You look... happy."

"You rather me look angry?"

"No, no. Happy suits you," Keppler said with a grin. Catherine faked a small smile and rolled her eyes in disgust as he walked past her to get to Hodges. She remembered she left her cell phone in her purse and walked towards the locker room. She stopped when she saw Sara sitting on the bench with a small package. 'I wonder who it's from... I'll get my phone later.'

----

Gil waited before the class he was just teaching left the room to take his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the received calls and frowned when there were no new calls. 'She must be busy. She'll call later.'

"Mr. Grissom?"

"What can I do for you Ryan?" The young man approached Gil's desk. For some reason that Gil couldn't explain, this young man reminded him a lot like Greg. A little too much, at that. His hair style, his clothes, his attitude, even the way he talked reminded him of Greg.

"Well I was wondering if you could explain to me about-" Grissom's phone rang and he raised a hand to excuse himself as he answered his phone.

"Grissom."

"Hey there. Slept well last night?"

"I slept fine."

"Well that's good. I knew you sounded tired." Ryan listened in with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk on his face.

"Hey Cath? Is it okay if I call you back in a few minutes?"

"Sure! Take your time." He waited for her to hang up before he shut his phone.

"The wife? Dude, you should've told me. I would've let you talk to her. My questions can wait till' later," He said as he began to walk out of the room.

"Ryan!" The young man stopped. "What did you want?"

"Ehh, nevermind. I'll see ya tomorrow, Mr. Grissom!"

----

Catherine was just about to place her cell phone back on her desk when it started ringing again. She smiled and answered it as quick as it had rang.

"Either you just really miss me or our defenitions of 'a few minutes' is completey different." He laughed.

"Sorry. One of my students wanted to ask me a question."

"And you answered him that quick? You usually have a lot to say if it's something interesting."

"Well he... misunderstood a few things and left."

"A few things? What could he possibly misunderstand if you're the one explaining it to him," She asked in a flirty tone.

"Well for one thing, he thought I was talking to my 'wife' and that I missed her dearly."

"Well he's got the second part right," She said with a grin. "-but I'm your wife now?"

"Really, I don't know how to explain it."

"Didn't that happen to you a few years ago?" He stopped walking and nodded his head in amazement.

"Yeah. In Jackpot. That sheriff thought we were married."

"Did you correct him?"

"Ummm..."

"Grissom," She shreaked in an amused tone. "You didn't correct him, did you!?"

"I didn't have the heart."

"What a bunch of B.S. You must have a picture of me in your wallet, and when people ask if you have family back home, out comes my picture."

"I do not! It's just people these days never give me a chance to explain that my best friend is back in Vegas. What else am I supposed to do? 'Shut up! You're wrong! She's not my wife! She's my best friend! How dare you call her my wife!' Yeah. Is that the impression I want to give people?" She giggled nonstop into the phone and tried to calm herself down as Nick passed by her door with a smile on his face.

'I always knew those two had something going on behind our backs.'

* * *

**A/N: Wow. So... I come up with all these ideas for stories and I never get to finish them. But I'm SO freakin' determined to finish this one! I swear. If I don't do it, I'll... I'll... stop drinking Dr.Pepper! gasp. lol.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Catherine's suspicious. Sara's pissed off. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Yeah. So you know, this story is GRILLOWS. All the way! So if the summary misled you because it had Sara and Gil first, then... I'm really really really sorry. LOL. Don't hate me, please. Innocent Grillows fan here. Sorry for grammar mistakes. Hectic day, peeps. H-E-C-T-I-C.**

* * *

"Two days in a row. Must be a record." Catherine looked up from her desk to see Keppler standing in the doorway of her office. The spot that Gil claimed long before, with a simple gesture; giving her his fetal pig. "You seem a lot happier than you did yesterday. Any reason why?"

"What makes that any of your business," She asked polietly. He stepped in and took a seat in front of her desk.

"I was curious. Something good must have happened, unless you're always this happy when you have to pull a double shift, then..." She looked at him in disbelief and ignored her phone the first time it rang. "You gonna answer that," He asked and watched as she reached for her cell phone. She held it in her hands and looked up at him.

"Do you mind? I don't like it when people listen to my conversations."

"Well if it's work related then-"

"It's not," She barely could keep the anger that was building up in her down at a reasonable level. _'Who the hell does this guy think he is?'_ He got up and left; acted like nothing ever happened. She flipped open her cell phone and sighed. "Willows."

"Ah. You haven't greeted me like that over the phone in about... two months." She smiled.

"Hey, you. What's up?"

"Nothing. Class just ended. I'm headed back to the hotel, maybe grab something for dinner on the way there." She turned her head and looked out of the glass window behind her chair. She noticed Keppler talking with one of the Dayshift CSIs while leaned up against the wall, watching her from across the hallway. "Cath?"

"Ugh. Sorry. Dinner, huh? You mentioned the food was good over there. You gonna bring some back to Vegas and see if it up holds the standards for Greg's list of 'Top Ten Foods of the Country?'"

On the east coast, Gil was walking out of the university, heading for his rental car with his cell phone still pressed to his ear when he heard Ryan.

"He must be talking to his wife. He's always talking to her."

While shutting the car door, he reached for the keys and lowered the radio so he could hear Catherine.

"Oh my God. I love that song that's playing! It's my favorite, as of the moment."

"What song? This?" He turned the volume of the radio louder and listened carefully to the song.

"Lindsey loves the band; she made me listen to one of their CDs a few days ago. I liked this one the best."

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know..._

"It's a miracle that you haven't turned the radio off yet." He sat in the car, the radio blasting and Catherine on the other end of the phone.

"Well you said it was your favorite song. It'd be pretty rude to just turn it off."

"No. I think you're starting to find other intrests besides classical music and you're just afraid to admit it." He chuckled, and...

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

Neither one of them spoke after the chorus was sung. He had no idea it was her favorite song, but now, he could obviously see why. He missed her, but he was afraid to really let her know how badly. He lowered the radio down to a reasonable volume and started driving towards the closest fastfood joint.

"So I never got to ask how the rest of the team was."

"Oh! They're... they're okay; still a little mad at me for faking that crime scene, but... I did what I had to do."

"Yeah. Faking that scene. Tell me more about that, please." She groaned into the phone and shut her blinds.

"Can it wait until you come back?"

"If you wait until then to tell me, I want to know everything. Why you did it, how you did it, where, who... all of it."

"Fine."

----

"Have you seen Sara?"

"The last I saw her... she was sitting in the locker room with this box on her lap."

"Well whatever was in that box sure pissed her off. I'm talking 'Catherine with no Dr.Pepper' pissed off."

"That's bad," Nick agreed. Warrick looked around and noted it was oddly empty. Catherine was in her office, with all the blinds shut and most of the lights off. Keppler was no where to be seen and Sara... Sara was in no mood for socialization at the moment. Both walked into the empty break room and relaxed in the chairs. "So what do you think of the new guy?"

"Keppler? Aw. He's alright." Nick shook his head. "Hey, he's no Grissom... but-"

"Exactly. He's no Grissom. We need him back, dude."

----

In a dark alley(muahahaha), a dark figure dialed a number and walked at a slow pace until his partner answered the phone.

"So the package was sent?"

"Yes. I believe it's sitting on his desk as we speak."

"Well why hasn't it been open? I've been working on this for months!"

"I don't know. It's come to my attention that he's left town."

"Well get him back in town. It's that simple!"

"How?"

"Take away what he loves. Take away... what he needs and wants; what he must have."

----

"So when will you be back?"

"I'm coming back in Febuary." Sara leaned against her locker with the stick in her hand, slowing turning it.

"I got your gift today."

"...and? How do you like it?"

"It was thoughtful. Thanks." Grissom knew where the conversation was headed, into an arguement, so he looked down at his watch and tried to come up with a reasonable excuse to get off the phone. His head snapped back up when he heard Catherine in the background. "Um... I have to go. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah." She shut her phone, leaving Grissom wondering why she seemed so angry.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah. So I was driving around with my friends and I put in my Nickelback CD and listened to that song almost all day. LOL! I wanted to use it in the story... so... I came up with a way while sitting in the car. ROFL. Yessss. Tell me how you like this chapter, peeps. :D**

**Thanks for all your reviews. ALL you guys ROCK!!! (Psst. new CSI NY tonight in the US, eh?)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: So here's the third chapter. Wrote half of it at home, half in World History today at school. I'm glad you guys like the story. Hopefully, I can keep updating quickly. XD Sorry for grammar mistakes. Microsoft Word: Time of death- unknown. LOL**

* * *

"So word in the halls is that Sara's pissed off; know why?"

"Honestly, I have no clue."

"Well from a very vital source, word is... she's angry because of _you_."

"Me?"

"You." He closed his eyes and shook his head. He thought sending her a gift would make things better; make her happy, but they only made things worse. "Would you mind explaining to me why she's angry?"

"I don't know why! I guess it has something to do with that package I sent her..." His voice trailed off. That's something he didn't want her to know. No one had known about Gil and Sara's... 'relationship' and he wanted to keep it that way, incase they somehow split apart, which he thought, wouldn't be a bad idea at the moment.

"So what did you send her?"

"I sent her... something I saw while I was here and I thought she'd like it."

"Well obvisouly, she didn't!"

"Well shoot me for trying to be thoughtful!"

"Gil, you have... four other members on the team and not one of them recieved anything while you were gone."

"I talk to you on the phone almost every morning, afternoon, and night! I thought that was more important than anything!"

"It's a phone call for God's sake! Yeah. What am I going to do with phone calls? Print out the records to remind myself that you're calling because you can't be here?!"

"That's not what I meant! You know me better than anyone! That should mean more to you!" Catherine got up from her desk, slammed her door, locked it, and shut her blinds.

"Are you two together, because so help me God if you are... I am hanging up this phone."

Outside in the hallway, Keppler leant against the wall of the hallway and crossed his arms over his chest. He could barely make out the arguement Catherine was having. He smirked. He found what Gil couldn't live without, what he would kill for if he ever lost it. His best friend, Catherine Willows.

Back in her office, she leaned back in her chair and looked around her room. She stopped when she came across the fetal pig Gil had given her when she became a supervisor. She looked away and switched the phone to her other ear.

"So what do you have to say? Are you two together or not?"

"We were, but-"

"Goodbye, Gil!"

"Catherine Willows, don't you dare hang up that phone!" She stopped instantly when she heard his hurt and angry voice. She slowly put it back to her ear and took a deep breath. "Are you going to let me finish?"

"Hmm."

"The night Jim was shot, was... probably the most terrifying night of my life. Not only could I have lost one of my good friends, but I was the one to decide whether or not he survived." Her face softened as he voice began breaking. "And... I knew that if I went to you, you'd tell me everything would be fine and that Jim would make it."

"But you never came to me!"

"I was never... completely there for you when you needed me and I thought... you wouldn't... help me. Possibly get back at me for all those times I've screwed up."

"Gil, everyone was upset that night. You weren't alone. If you would have just told me!"

"I got nervous. I didn't know what to do. I just... stopped thinking. Then I thought, 'Sara wouldn't reject me. She might help. It could possibly even go somewhere if we both play our cards right and avoid bad days.' But..."

"That's not how it worked out, is it," She asked softly.

"No. None of it makes sense anymore. I don't even know why I went to her in the first place," He said after letting out a huge breath. "At first, I was so excitted. You would always tell me I needed to find someone... but... I've come to a decision that it's not Sara. It never could've been her."

"You could have at least told me; that you two were together. Let me know, given me a clue, you could've done something! You said I'm your best friend. Newsflash! Best friends are supposed to trust each other."

"I trust you."

"Obviously, you don't," She whispered. She looked at her watch and sighed. "Do you have anything else you needed to tell me?" Shocked and hurt, he mummbled a reply of protest. She turned her head away from the phone and blinked back a few tears. She wouldn't let him hear her cry. Never. "Goodnight, Gil."

"Goodnight, Catherine."

----

"Rough night?" She looked up at Keppler and gave him 'the look'. "You know, you shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself like that. You'll turn into a social misfit." She slammed her hands on the evidence table and yelled,

"Get the hell out!" He grabbed his cup of coffee and walked out of the room without a word. Catherine put her head in her hands and placed her elbows on the table. Her knees grew weak as tears fell onto the plastic evidence bag in front of her face. Her stomach pressed against the cold metal of the table and she whimpered.

_'What are you crying for!? He said so himself he doesn't want her anymore.'_ She began to open her eyes, but memmories of when her and Gil would stay hours after shift ended to wrap up a case in the same room. _'Why do I miss him so much?' _Nick had started to walk into the room, but stopped at the sight of a very upset Catherine.

"Cath?"

"What Nick?"

"I ugh... are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." She picked her head up and wiped the tears off of her cheeks with her palms. "What did you need?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with Grissom, does it?" Her eyes watered up again and Nick threw his arm over her shoulder."Hey... he's coming back."

"I know. I just miss him," She leaned her head onto his shoulder and let a few tears run down her cheeks.

"I knew you two would make the perfect couple." She swatted his chest and smiled at him.

"Too bad it could never happen." His smile slowly fadded.

"Why not? You two are... practically perfect for each other, Cath. You know it, I know it... I think the whole lab knows it."

"He's been with... Sara for the past few months." His jaw dropped.

"You mean... romantically involved?" She sighed.

"I- I don't know. He told me this last night and I just... I blocked it out of my head, because I didn't want to believe it. Ya know?" Nick stood there, shocked and nodded his head. It was the only thing he could do. "He sounded s confused and it didn't help that I was confused, too."

"Wow. Griss and... Sara?" Catherine instantly noted the look of hurt on his face.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Like her? Me? Nah, nah... she's cool but she's..." Catherine folded her arms over her chest and smirked. "Yeah. I like her."

"Tell her. Don't make the same mistake I made... okay?"

"You didn't make a mistake, Cath. You just made a wrong turn," Nick said softly as he walked out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah. So I wrote the last half of this in class today. yawn I hate World History. If I live in Australia... why the hell do I need to learn about France and Spain? I don't. End of story. LOL! XD Thanks for reviewing you guys! I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Ahaha. Getting ready to go play some tennis again. Wee. Felt like updating this story. Hope you like it. Thanks to EVERYONE who's reading and reviewing! I love you guys! (:**

* * *

"Mom? Uncle Gil called."

"Okay..." Lindsey followed her mother into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"Are you going to call him back?"

"Maybe later." Lindsey frowned.

"But you call him every night," she said softly. Catherine tossed her keys onto the counter and looked at her fifteen year old daughter.

"Blame your Uncle Gil for that." She slowly walked passed a shocked and hurt Lindsey, and made her way to her room. Just as she was going to close the door, Lindsey placed her hand on the front of the door and pushed it open, almost knocking her mother down. "Lindsey!"

"You two got in an argument, didn't you!?"

"No. He's just made it clear that he has more important people he rather pay attention to."

"Who? Sara?" Catherine threw her pajamas on the floor and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oh that's great. How'd you know? Did he tell you?"

"It's called observation, mom. You do it everyday at work."

"Okay. I honestly don't feel like talking about this at the moment. I-"

"I do! Mom," Lindsey pleaded, "He's always been there for us, he helped you get a job as a CSI, he's probably babysat me God knows HOW many times... and... I just..." Lindsey's voice started breaking and her blue eyes filled with tears.

"You what, Linds?"

"I just wish he was my dad sometimes." It grew silent in the bedroom and Lindsey sniffed. "You remember when you would tell me to go into my room and that things would be okay when I woke up?" Catherine nodded. "Well I'd always think about how I'd get to see 'Uncle Gil' the next day or I'd think that we might spend the night at his house with the 'cool bugs' and stuff."

"Your father loved you."

"He sure didn't show it that much!" Catherine looked away; she was right. "I thought that if you and Uncle Gil got together, then you'd finally be happy and I'd get my wish and... just so many things could've happened, mom." Catherine opened her mouth to say something, but he cell phone started ringing.

"We'll talk about this later."

"Sure we will." Catherine sighed and watched Lindsey walk out of her room and down the hall. She flipped open her cell phone and pressed it to her ear.

"Willows."

"Catherine, it's Keppler. We're short a CSI and I could really use your help right now."

"Alright. I'm on my way." She shut her phone and closed her eyes. She honestly didn't want to be anywhere near work. She got a fresh pair of clothes and grabbed her keys, walking out of the door and back to her Denali. The phone rang right when she started the car and backed out of the driveway. An angry Lindsey answered the phone in a harsh tone.

"Hello?"

"Linds? Is your mother home yet?"

"She just left."

"Where'd she go?"

"I think she went back to work. I guess they're short handed."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Wait... I... I wanted to ask you something." Gil waited. "Mom is pretty... confused, as of the moment, and she honestly has no idea what she wants... but, I can tell you that if you apologize or just try to talk to her, she'll forgive you. I know she will."

"Thank you, Lindsey."

"Don't mention it."

----

Catherine walked into the lab with her purse hanging from her shoulder and her glasses perched on top of her head. Keppler was right... no one was in the lab, probably out on their scene. Or at least, that's what she thought. When she couldn't find him, she walked into Brass's office. He sat at his desk, just hanging up the phone when she walked in. He looked surprised to see her.

"Didn't you just go home?"

"Keppler said they were short handed and... here I am."

"Go home, Cath. I'll give the case over to dayshift." Catherine gave him a soft smile and accepted the offer.

"Thanks, Jim." As quick as she walked in, she walked out and back into the parking lot. Part of her was angry that she had to drive all the way to the lab only to be told she wouldn't have to work a case. After all, SHE was the co-supervisor when Gil was there. And since he was gone, it made her the supervisor for the time being.

She stopped walking to her car and replayed the thought she just had. 'Since he's gone, I'm the supervisor for the time being.' She shuddered, knowing she could never take Gil's place. No matter how much money they'd offer her, or whatever the hours were, she told herself she'd never take it-- unless Gil was right there besides her, reassuring her that it was okay and that she'd do fine. She sighed; she missed him.

----

Keppler walked out into the hall; knowing he just heard Catherine. When he couldn't find her, he took out his cell phone and dialed her number.

"Willows."

"Cath. Where are you?"

"I'm ugh... I'm going home. Brass said he'd give my case over to a dayshift CSI."

"Oh... alright." She waited a few seconds before she shut her phone and tossed it on the seat besides her. She started up her Denali and turned up the radio.

_I'm not coming back  
I'm not gonna react  
I'm not doing shit for you  
I'm not sitting around  
While you're tearing it down around us  
I'm not living a lie  
While you swim in denial  
'Cause you're already dead and gone  
You'll leave me out on the curb  
Just like everyone else before you_

She could barely make out the faint ringing of her cell phone. She slowed the car down and reached over for her phone. She flipped open the screen and rolled her eyes when his named flashed on and off. Gil. She placed her phone in her lap, thinking someone more 'important' might call. But in her head, no one was more important than he was.

It rang again and she slightly jumped at the unexpected vibrations. She turned the volume of the radio lower and answered.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"For what? Finally getting a personal life?"

"You are my personal life." She pulled her car into an abandoned parking lot, knowing where this conversation was headed to.

"You have a funny way of showing it, Gil."

"You weren't making it any easier!" She was shocked at his tone of voice. She always knew a quiet Gil. A Gil that only raised his voice when it was absolutely necessary. "You were always going on dates! You'd dress up and you'd practically rub it in my face that those jerks could have you, but I couldn't!"

_Welcome to my world  
Where everyone I ever need  
Always ends up leaving me alone  
Another lesson burned  
And I'm drowning in the ashes  
Kicking  
Screaming  
Welcome to my world_

"If you thought I was going to wait around at the lab for you to build up the courage and ask me out, then you were wrong." He sighed into the phone. "I can't wait forever, Gil!" She was practically screaming into the phone with tears streaming down her face.

"Making you wait was a mistake on my part. I know that. I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry? Look where you are! You're not even here! I... I don't even remember where you are! But this is how you're going to apologize to me? Over the phone?"

"It's better than not apologizing at all, now isn't it!?" She shut her mouth and gripped the steering wheel with one hand.

"Okay, Gil. Sure. You probably have more important people to talk to, so I'll just let you go."

"No. You're the only person I want to talk to. Not Sara, not Sophia; you."

_I don't care what you think  
I'm not seeing a shrink  
I'm not doing this again  
I'm not another  
Student or a mother  
To take your shit out on  
So let's see what you got  
And let's see what you're not  
And whatever else you pretend  
You've defended my intentions  
Long enough_

"What do you want to talk about? There's nothing."

"Why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get so worked up over this."

"I'm not getting worked up! It's just... the fact you probably know Sara isn't right for you, yet you still sleep with her!"

"Who said I slept with her!?"

"Why else would you suddenly get involved with her?"

"Because, God forbid, I thought having her around would help me forget about you!" She closed her eyes and had trouble swallowing. She was breathing hard into the phone and this got him worried. "Catherine?"

"I'm fine." She coughed and pressed her hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was growing rapidly. She wasn't okay.

"No... Catherine. I'm sorry. I'm coming back. I'm coming home."

"Don't leave what you've been waiting for just because I'm... oh my God..." She rested her head back on the seat and took a deep breath. "I'm alright."

"What... just happened? Are you alright?"

"You suddenly care?" She took another deep breath. "I've been taking this medicine lately with all the stress and worrying I do; it has side effects, but I'm alright."

"My plane leaves tomorrow. I'm coming back."

"Whatever. But just because you're coming back, don't expect things to be all nice and dandy between us." She hung up her phone and wiped the tears off her cheek.

_So here I am again  
In the middle of the end  
And the choice I wish I'd made  
I always make too late_

_

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_

**A/N: ahah. That song reminded me of Gil and Cath the minute I heard it on the radio. It's, My World by Sick Puppies. Download it! Listen to it while you read this AGAIN! XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Fifth chapter. Here ya go. Sorry for the wait. And sorry if you guys hate this chapter. I'm honestly trying to keep you guys happy with my updating. LOL! (smiles). UGH! I'm only a freshmen and my teachers are already forcing me to look at colleges. (cries) I don't wannnnnaaa think about that nowww.**

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_'Note to self: Once Catherine is gone, get rid of Jim Brass'_

Keppler walked out into the hall, after hearing what he thought was Catherine's voice a few minutes ago and frowned when she wasn't there. _'I just called her in. She should be here!'_ No one else was there, who else could she have gone to? He walked into Brass's office and stood there, waiting for him to look up.

"What can I do for you Keppler?"

"Have you seen Catherine?"

"Ah yeah. I sent her home. I gave her case over to a dayshift. Why?"

"No... reason. I was just wondering. Thanks." Brass watched him walk out of the office and back down the halls, hiding from the rest of the lab.

----

Catherine had decided to calm down before she started driving home again. In her mind, she knew that Gil was right from the beginning, but she hated the idea. She hated everything about the idea that Gil and Sara... were an item. It sickened her to death. And even though she realized that she had been the one to tell him that he needed someone, she never in a million years thought he'd actually choose... Sara.

Minutes later, her eyes were dried and she walked into her empty house. Lindsey was most likely asleep. None of the lights were on. The only noise she could hear was the air coniditioner, which was keeping the house at least below fifty and the clock ticking on the wall. She walked into her kitchen, knowing her way around without turning on any lights and stopped when she caught a glimpse of her answering machine.

She slowly pressed the 'play' button and shrugged off her jacket while waiting for her messages to play.

'Catherine, it's Ecklie. I-'

Delete.

'Mom!! It's almost 4:30! Dance practice ended like, 5 minutes ago! Where are you!?'

Delete.

'You have no more messages.' She nodded and began to walk out of the kitchen, but the phone started ringing the minute she took her first step. She turned around and hesitantly placed her hand over the phone. She knew who it was, but she wasn't ready to talk to him again. Not yet, anyways.

'Catherine- it's Gil.' She took a deep breath. 'I just wanted to call; to make sure you're okay.' He paused for a second before he sighed into the phone. 'When you hear this, call me back. I need to talk to you. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to get... angry. I'm getting on my plane the first thing tomorrow morning. I'll... see you tomorrow.'

She left her hand on the phone, letting her head drop to her chest and silently crying in the dark.

----

Gil snapped his cell phone shut and tossed it on his bed. Going back to Vegas was something he had originally planned, but certainly not this early. He missed her. He missed everyone, to tell the truth. Talking to his family and BEING with his family weren't the same.

He was just about to lay down, when his cell phone started vibrating. He sat up instantly and reached for it. He opened it, without even checking to see who it was; there was only one person he wanted to talk to, and that was Catherine. If it wasn't her, he told himself he was going to quickly make up an excuse and get off of the phone with whoever called him.

"Hello?"

"Gil...?"

"Oh. Sara. How are you?"

"I'm fine- I'm great." He sat back against the headboard of his bed and cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear. "So how are you? Having fun?"

"I'm okay, but I miss home."

"Well it's normal for you to feel a little home sick." He closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to get off of the phone. He grabbed a candy wrapper from his jacket and ruffled it against the phone. "Gi-Gil?"

"Sara... I- breaking-can't-you."

"Gil. What?"

"I-to go!" He hung up his phone as quick as he could and frowned. This is how he had to get off of the phone with people now? Faking to lose a connection? _'Way to go you, ass. She'll figure out you didn't want to talk to her.'_

----

She tiptoed her way upstairs so she wouldn't wake up her daughter, but when she passed in front of Lindsey's bedroom, she couldn't help herself. She missed all the nights were she'd sneak into her daughter's room and watch over her as she slept. Now that Lindsey was almost old enough to take care of herself, Catherine couldn't help but feel useless.

She leaned against the doorframe of her daughter's room and smiled. Lindsey was quietly asleep in her brown and pink bed sheets. Her small butterfly lamp was on in the corner, lighting up that small part of the room. The pictures of her, Lindsey, and Gil were hanging above the lamp. Catherine noticed; it was the only hanging picture in the room.

'That thing must be at least ten years old. What's she doing with it in her room?'

There was a roll of thunder in the background, scaring Catherine. She jumped slightly and the floor creaked beneath her feet. Lindsey rolled around in the bed and turned on her side, facing her mother who still stood in the doorway. Her eyes slowly flickered open and she sat up when she realized her mother was in her room.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just... checking up on you."

"Mom, I'm sixteen. You don't need to 'check up on me'. I'm a big girl, now."

"I know... I just... can't help it." She walked over to the bed and tickled her daughter. The squirming and laughing got Catherine to finally smile once that night. "You're just so adorable when you're asleep." Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Oh. And by the way, Uncle Gil called a few minutes ago. He seemed worried about you."

"Well... what did he want?"

"He just wanted to talk to you." Catherine sighed. "Will you EVER call him back?"

"Lindsey, do I ever call ANYONE back?" She blinked.

"Good question." Catherine laughed, kissed her daughter's forehead, tucked her in, and said goodnight. She walked into her own dark bedroom, turning on the one lamp next to her bed and changing into her regular pajamas. A pair of shorts and a large, comfy shirt. She could barely make out the raindrops falling on the roof as she got into bed and turned off the lamp.

She pulled the covers up to her chin and looked out of her window. The dark clouds covered up everything. Raindrops fell instantly on the glass when more thunder crashed. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, knowing she'd fall asleep faster tonight. Thunderstorms could always make her fall asleep when she was little, and apparently, nothing changed since then.

----

He parked his car outside of her house, watching from his car and staring at her window. He knew it was dangerous to actually stalk the victim, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to watch her, to study her way of living. He wanted everything about her. But one thing stood in his way; the man she really loved.

He knew what he had to do. He had to separate the two. That was the hard part. He gripped the steering wheel of his car as random ideas popped into head. Smirking, he turned his head and watched for a few more minutes before starting up his car and driving away in the pouring rain.

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**A/N: Yeah. So Keppler dieing was like... the worst thing that could happen to me for this FanFic. But honestly, I don't care if he's dead or not. Never liked him, never hated him. LOL. Lemme know if you want me to continue or... better yet, tell me what you THINK should happen in the next few chapters. LOL. :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Squee. 6th chapter is up for you to read! yay. Almost done with the story. I didn't wanna make it too too too long, because... basically, I wanted this to be like... just one little scene in CSI or w/e. But yeah. THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS!! I LOVE YOU!**

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It was all a game of time. It depended on when things happened, not how or why. But when. He sat in his car and stared at the clock, watching the minutes turn into hours. Why this was so important for him to accomplish was beyond his knowledge. If the Las Vegas Crime Lab couldn't catch the killer of his fiance', then there was going to be a price to pay.

It was between him or her. He was out of town, she was the perfect target. Besides, going for the Supervisor of the lab wasn't that... thrilling. 'Take away someone everyone can get along with. Take away someone everyone will miss dearly. Take away... Catherine Willows.'

----

He boarded his plain minutes after his class had ended. Due to the delay of the weather in Vegas, it would be at least 10 PM before he arrived there. He placed his suitcase to the side for the airport employees to carry below the plane. He kept his cell phone and his wallet in his pocket.

He found his seat the second the walked onto the plane and buckled himself in. He turned his head and rested his chin on the palm of his hand, waiting for the plane to take off. He ignored the cries of the small baby in the black of the plane and the yells of two men arguing over where they were going to sit.

He reached for his cell phone but the last passenger of the plane had finally sat down and the pilot came on the intercom.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for flying with us this evening. Hopefully, we can get you to Las Vegas without a problem. We ask that you turn off all cell phones or electronic devices until we reach mid point in air. Thank you." Everyone in the plane slightly shook as the engine started up. Minutes later, they were slowly moving down the lane.

----

She pulled her Denali into the parking lot and hoped down from the driver's seat. The rest of the lab's Denalis were all parked on the side of hers. She thought everyone must have been called in. It was just a busy night, or so she thought.

She shifted her purse around on her shoulder as she pulled the door back to step in. The instant her heeled shoes hit the tiled floor of the lab, a plain, white cloth was wrapped around her eyes and her mouth. She screamed into the towel and squirmed furiously around in her attacker's arms. The cloth had managed to slip from her mouth as he struggled to get her down the hall.

"GRISSOM! NICK! WARRICK!"

"Shut up," he spat back. He covered her mouth with more cloth this time, and tied it in the back of her head. He pushed her against a chair and smirked when she tumbled over it. "Not so perfect when you're blind, huh?" She tried to remove the ties from her hands, which were cutting into her circulation, but it was no use. She could no longer feel her fingers or her hands. "Keep fighting. It's entertaining me." She sat still for a moment and felt around. She was in the breakroom.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?" He looked down at her in disbelief. "Who AM I? You... you don't need to worry about that, Catherine. The only thing you need to know is that I am going to kill you." She whimpered and sat still. "I am going to kill you before anyone even realizes you're missing." He rushed towards her and grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing her head back against the chair. "Go ahead. Tell me you don't know who I am."

"I DON'T!" He slapped her across the face with his free hand and waited for her to turn her head back to him. She clenched her teeth together when he let the hand in her hair slowly rake down.

----

Greg pulled his car into the lab, remembering the second he got home that he had forgotten to label and seal up some evidence for Nick and Sara. He left the car running, telling himself he'd be back in a few minutes. He looked around at all of the SUVs in the parking lot and reasoned, 'It must be a busy night.'

He reached the door and tired to pull on it. He looked down at the handle when it didn't even budge. He looked back in the parking lot, knowing he saw Catherine's Denali, and pressed his face to the window.

"CATHERINE!! You in there!? Hey Cath!! Open up!!"

----

He looked back when he heard the banging on the door and moved away from her. He paced back and forth, wondering what he should do. He glanced at her and to the door, over and over again. Finally, he couldn't take the banging on the door any longer. He grabbed her by the hair again and pulled her to her feet. She coughed slightly and yanked her arms away from him.

He dragged her down the hallway and finally stood her in front of the frosted door which Greg was standing on the other side. He pressed her face to the window and hide his face behind her head.

"CATHERINE!!" Greg slightly jumped back when the blood from her mouth flew against the door and slowly dripped down to the handle of the door. "Cath, are you okay?" When she tried to nod her head, the grip he had on her hair tightened and she screamed. "I'm gonna call for help. Okay? I'll be right back."

"No." Greg stopped running and walked back up to the door. He could recognize that voice from a mile away. That voice that he hated so much.

"KEPPLER?!" Catherine bolted up right against the door and screamed.

"MIKE?! What the hell! Let me go! Is this your idea of some kind of sick joke!?"

"You call for help and she dies." Greg reached into his back pocket, knowing Keppler wouldn't be able to see and took out his cell phone. He punched the speed dial for Grissom's phone and backed away from the door. When he didn't answer the phone, Greg cursed and punched in Nick's number.

"Dude. Get here quick. Keppler's got Catherine inside the lab."

"What you mean?"

"He's going to kill her man! Just hurry!"

"GREG! I told YOU! Not to call for any help," Keppler screamed through the door.

"I didn't! Just... let her go, man. She didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh but she did."

----

Gil had fell asleep for most of the ride there. By the time he woke up, most people were returning to their seats to prepare for landing. He reached for his cell phone, to check for missed calls, but the pilot came back on the intercom and announced to turn of all cell phones and electronic devices.

He was close. By the time he stepped off of the plane, it was 9:45 PM. He grabbed his bags from the conveyer belt in the airport and fished his keys out of his pocket. He tossed his suitcase into the back of his car and paid the parking fine for the few weeks he was gone. He drove around for a few minutes, trying to think if Catherine was working this shift, if he should go see her, or if he should just go home.

He jumped when he realized his cell phone was vibrating.

"Hello?"

"Gil. Thank God. You need to get here. She's asking for you."

"Who? Who is this?"

"This is Nick, Grissom! Just... get to the lab! Now!"

"What's going on?"

"It's Catherine." Gil could detect the fear in his voice and hear the others in the background, all with worried voices. Some even crying.

"What happened to her!? Is she okay?!"

"I don't know!"

"I'll be there in 5 minutes!" Gil threw his phone on the floor, not caring if it broke or not, and floored the gas pedal as far as it could go as he dodged cars to get to the lab in time.

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**A/N: ahha. I was supposed to go eat lunch with my friends, but I didn't go. I guess I felt like writing more than I felt like eating. LOL**


	7. Chapter 7

**Jealousy Gets You Nowhere**

**Rating: Teen**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy. If I owned CSI, everyone who reviews would love me forever. But I don't. So boo.**

**Summary: Gil's jealous. Sara's pissed off. Catherine's suspicious. Keppler's acting weird. And the rest of the team has no clue.**

**A/N: Thanks for your reviews everyone! You guys are... honestly, the best readers. I can't believe you guys actually took the time to read all of this story. LOL. It makes me feel loved Enjoy, it peeps. (Thinking of doing one of those, 'one year later...' stories. LOL)**

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The second Grissom shut his door, Nick came running towards him. They both started to walk towards the lab.

"How is she?"

"We don't know. He's not letting her talk to anyone."

"How long have they been in there?"

"We're not sure. But it couldn't have been that long. The engine of Cath's Denali is still warm."

"Does he have any weapons?"

"Greg said he thought he saw a gun. Still not clear on that yet." The two of them walked up to Brass, who had a full floor plan of the lab spread out on the hood of a police car. Officers in bullet proof vests were gathered around with loaded guns and ear pieces.

----

"Please, Gil... please," she whispered to herself. He cocked his head to the side and listened to her.

"What? What are you saying?" She stopped her whispering and gulped when he set the gun again, pointing it in her face. "WHAT did you say?"

"Gil-"

"GIL!? You want him to come and rescue you? Do you honestly thing he's going to fly all the way to Las Vegas just to watch you die in a hospital bed?" She sobbed harder as he placed his finger over the trigger.

She thought she was dead. She closed her eyes, millions of things going through her head all at once. She jumped when she heard a loud banging on the door. Keppler shook his head and lowered the gun to the ground. He leaned closer to her and roughly whispered,

"Say here. Don't fucking move." He took his time walking to the door and yelled through the glass. "What!?"

"Keppler, I take it?"

"What's it to you? Come here to listen to Catherine cry?"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to leave. You have no business being here. Everyone knows I'm going to kill her. Why even bother trying to come up with a plan to save her?" Gil's heart broke as he listened to the cries of Catherine from outside. He jumped when Keppler turned and screamed at her to shut up.

"If you kill her, you'd kill a wonderful mother, a loving best friend, a damn good CSI."

"Well obviously, she wasn't such a good investigator if she couldn't even figure out who killed my future WIFE!" The door to the lab barely pushed open, and Gil looked back at the team with a look of horror on his face. He was only armed with a vest and his standard gun. Brass nodded, knowing this was the only way to get in the lab to save Catherine, and watched Gil walk inside carefully.

As soon as Brass pointed, the police officers and the Graveshift team surrounded the whole building.

----

He stopped at the sight of her tied up to a chair with bruises and cuts on her face and arms. Her hair was a mess and he could tell she was in great pain. Keppler kept his gun pointed to her, but suddenly brought it up and pointed it at Gil.

"So it looks like he actually flew here to save you after all, Catherine." No one said anything. "Maybe I should kill both of you."

"Why are you doing this, Mike," Gil asked.

"Because I fucking can. Haven't you just wanted to do something for the hell of it?"

"Killing two innocent people? No. Never crossed my mind." Keppler laughed and pushed Catherine back. The chair hit the wall and her head flew back against it. She whimpered in pain and slumped in the chair. He started walking towards Gil, the gun pointed at him.

"NO ONE GETS IT! No one... understands me. My girlfriend... the love of my life, was RAPED and MURDERED!" Gil gulped. "And apparently, she wasn't important enough to keep around. The case lasted for TWO WEEKS... two God damn weeks! Is that all she's worth?"

"Keppler-"

"No one cared to pull her case out. No one even looked over the evidence a second time. Is that how people in Las Vegas solve their problems? When it gets to hard, you stick them in a box and shove them in storage!?"

By now, his hands were shaking with anger. He was so close, so concentrated on pulling the trigger, that he didn't hear the backdoor open and a gun shot. Catherine jumped and screamed as Keppler dropped to his knees. The gun flew from his hands and Gil jumped for it. Once he was sure Keppler wasn't going anywhere, he nodded and the officers ran to his body. He pushed his way through the people and kneeled in front of Catherine.

"Hey..." He softly tucked her hair behind her ears and caressed her cheek. She rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed into his jacket as he reached behind her and carefully untied her hands. The second she was freed from the tight rope, she fell forward and into his arms.

He fell back and sat on the floor with her in his lap. She threw her arms around his neck and clung onto him with everything she had. He rocked her back and forth and smoothed her hair down. Hearing her cry into his shoulder made tears collect in the corners of his eyes. "I've got you. It's over."

"I thought I was going to die."

"I wouldn't let that happen. You're safe now, okay?" He hugged her tighter when he felt her shudder and gasp for air. The team carefully walked into the lab and stopped at the heart wrenching sight. The officers had lifted Keppler out of the room just as Catherine had began to calm down. He rubbed her back while whispering into her ear, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I hate it when you get upset. I just-"

"I love you. There. I love you, Gil. I do." She shifted in his lap, whimpered when her cuts and bruises began to ache, and buried her face in his neck. Lindsey came running into the room with one of her older friends and pushed her way through the crowd. She ended up standing next to Sara and looked up at her. She was staring angrily at her mother and Uncle Gil. Lindsey just smirked and leaned closer to Sara.

"They make such a cute couple, don't they?" Sara looked down at the young girl and pressed her lips together.

"Yeah. I guess they do..."

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**A/N: Yeah. They make a hellacute couple. (dances) Thanks for reviewing and reading!! (very very big smile)**


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